200 flights cancelled as typhoon nears Japan

In Asia, Floods & Storms, News Headlines

Japan cancelled more than 200 flights and many ferry services to its southern islands today as a typhoon churned in.

Typhoon Kompasu, packing gusts of up to 216 kilometres per hour near its centre, was approaching Okinawa and nearby subtropical islands in the country’s far south, Japan’s meteorological agency said.

The agency issued a warning of heavy rains and strong gales, and warned residents to be on alert against possible landslides and floods.

The typhoon was moving north-west at a speed of 20kph through the East China Sea and on its current course could hit the Korean peninsula about Thursday, the agency said.

At least 216 flights were cancelled, affecting more than 15,000 passengers, while most local ferry services were suspended, local media reported.

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